Rocketing mCommerce Set to Gobble Up IT Contractors in 2012

PAYE umbrella techies working in finance and banking took a hefty drubbing last year, with many leading banks cutting pay rates and numerous IT contracting roles disappearing from the sector. However, IT contractors willing to turn their attentions to the burgeoning mobile commerce market in 2012 could be set for a bumper year.

Figures released by the Centre for Retail Research indicate that, on current trends, at least 25% of all internet purchases will be conducted via mobile gadgets by 2015. The rate of uptake of ‘mCommerce’ by purchasers has been rocketing: three times as many US shoppers used mobile devices for their online purchases on Cyber Monday last year than on the same day in 2010, according to data from the eBay subsidiary PayPal.

An indicator of the increasing popularity of mobile commerce is the rise of ‘mobile wallets’, which despite a slightly faltering start has now been embraced by many as a trusted payment method. Mobile phones are now being used so frequently to make online payments that they are set to rival credit cards - and they have the added versatility of barcode scanning technology, enabling purchasers to make price comparisons before they buy.

The UK is set to become the first European country in 2012 to launch ‘Google Wallet’, which debuted successfully in the US last summer. Make no mistake about it, despite tough economic times, mCommerce is booming and more and more UK companies will be clamouring to leap on the bandwagon this year. IT contractors, prepare to get busy.

Source:

http://www.umbrellacompanies.org/2012/01/02/what-new-technology-will-it-contractors-see-in-2012-2/